Thanks to the 40+ advocacy groups that signed this letter urging House Democrats to reject any motion to recommit on the coming Yemen War Powers Resolution vote and to pass a clean version of SJRes7 as adopted by the Senate. This letter was sent to every House Dem at noon on Wed, March 27th.
Thanks to The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel who did an article on our letter. Read it here.
Let’s keep going ya’ll. We need to make sure Dems stand together and do not fall for any attempt to derail this legislation.
Best,
Hassan El-Tayyab Co-Director at Just Foreign Policy
March 27th, 2019
Dear Representatives,
We urge you to vote against any motion to recommit (MTR) presented by Republicans on SJRes7, the War Powers Resolution to end unconstitutional U.S. military participation in the Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition’s military intervention in Yemen. A vote in favor of the MTR is a vote to destroy the viability of the bill, prevent it from reaching the president’s desk, and prolong the conflict.
SJRes7 passed the Senate on March 13th, 2019, with a bipartisan majority and will be considered in the House within days. Republicans are sure to try to derail the bill with a political ploy to tempt Democrats into voting for it. But the House adoption of the Republicans’ MTR would insert language into the text of SJRes7 that would require reapproval by the Senate. The language that Republicans will attempt to insert through the MTR will strip the measure of privileged status. Majority Leader McConnell would then be under no obligation to bring SJRes7 back up for a vote, and the bill would die.
We know this because in February, House Democrats unanimously voted to pass SJRes7’s companion bill, HJRes37. House Republicans introduced a motion to recommit with non-germane language condemning anti-Semitism, and Democrats voted to add it to the resolution. At that time, House Democrats were unaware that the inclusion of such language would de-privilege the resolution.
This House vote to end unconstitutional U.S. military participation in the Saudi/UAE-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen could not come at a more critical time for the 15.9 million people at risk of famine. Saudi and Emirati coalition airstrikes in Yemen and the coalition’s blockade of the country has impeded the flow of food, fuel, and medicine, pushing prices of essential goods out of reach for millions of Yemenis. A child dies in Yemen every 10 minutes from preventable causes and 85,000 children under the age of five have died from hunger and disease.
Aid group Oxfam America noted, “By providing continued, unflinching support for the Saudi-led coalition, the Trump administration is helping to push Yemen towards famine. With that lack of leadership from the White House, it is not just appropriate for Congress to intervene; it is a moral imperative.”
Republicans will seek to defeat this critical bill to end U.S. support for the coalition’s military campaign, likely by using the procedural vote as an opportunity to introduce non-germane language to SJRes7. The Republicans’ weaponization of accusations of anti-Semitism is wrong. Doing so to prolong one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world is unconscionable. Democrats must not abet such a cynical effort.
We urge House Democrats to reject any motion to recommit and pass a clean version of SJRes7 as adopted by the Senate. By doing so, Congress will send a clear signal to the Trump Administration that unconstitutional U.S. participation in the Saudi/Emirati-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen must end.
Sincerely,
About Face: Veterans Against the War
Action Corps
Action Corps NYC
American Friends Service Committee
Antiwar.com
Avaaz
Center for International Policy
Chicago Area Peace Action
CAPA DePaul
CAPA Loyola
CODEPINK
Common Defense
Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
CREDO
Daily Kos
Defending Rights & Dissent
Demand Progress
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Eastchester sustainability Florida
Environmentalists Against War
Foreign Policy for America
Freedom Forward
Indivisible
Institute for Policy Studies, New Internationalism Project
Just Foreign Policy
Massachusetts Peace Action
Million Hoodies Movement for Justice
MPower Action
MoveOn
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
New Jersey Peace Action
Oil Change U.S.
Pax Christi International
Peace Action
Peace Action Manhattan
Peace Action New York State
Peace Action Network of Lancaster, PA
Peacehome Campaigns
People Demanding Action
Public Citizen
STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities
Students for Yemen
SumOfUs
The Libertarian Institute
The United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
The Yemen Peace Project
VoteVets
Win Without War
Women Empowerment Coalition of New York City
Yemeni Alliance Committee
Yemen Freedom Council